So Madonna gave a tribute to Madonna Aretha Franklin at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards last night and it was about what you might expect.
Dressed in a long black kaftan with African jewelry and spiky headgear, the Queen of Pop gave the sendoff to the Queen of Soul as only she could: by talking about herself the entire time.
“Aretha Louise Franklin,” Madonna said at the beginning of her speech, “changed the course of my life.”
Related: Remembering Aretha Franklin: 10 amazing live performances the Queen of Soul left us with
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What followed were several incredibly boring minutes of Madonna recounting how she left Detroit when she was 18 with just $35 in her pocket, her dreams of becoming a professional dancer, all the auditions she went on, the time she met a French disco singer, a plug for her last album Rebel Heart, and how her goals eventually shifted from being a dancer to being a singer, which eventually led to story about an audition she went on for two record producers, which is when she finally got around to actually mentioning Aretha Franklin.
“The dance audition went well. Then they asked me if I had sheet music and a song prepared. I panicked. I had overlooked this important part of the audition process,” Madonna recalled.
Related: Aretha Franklin has been immortalized forever with these amazing memes
“I had to think fast, my next meal was on the line. Fortunately one of my favorite albums was ‘Lady Soul’ by Aretha Franklin. I blurted out, ‘You Make Me Feel’ … silence. ‘(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.’ Two French guys nodded at me. I said, ‘You know, by Aretha Franklin.’”
Understandably, people were not pleased about the whole thing. Many took to Twitter to express their feelings about it…
Madonna did the tribute speech for Aretha Franklin. Madonna did the tribute performance for Prince. Madonna did the tribute speech for Michael Jackson…why? Who keeps thinking its a good idea to hire Madonna to eulogize Black artists who have passed away?
— LEFT?? (@LeftSentThis) August 21, 2018
Me: It’s weird that #Madonna is doing a tribute to Aretha Franklin, but what’s the worst that could happen?
Madonna: pic.twitter.com/DvfueYKgCu
— Brittany Stephanis (@bmstephanis) August 21, 2018
does Madonna know Madonna didn’t die
— Katie Nolan (@katienolan) August 21, 2018
Prince is up there telling Aretha she effed my tribute up too!! #Aretha or Madonna pic.twitter.com/AUdiDpOMBN
— Michele DeMino (@CheleDeMino) August 21, 2018
What a touching tribute to Aretha Franklin where Madonna talked about her goddam self for like 30 mins
— KFC (@KFCBarstool) August 21, 2018
Madonna made Aretha Franklin’s death about herself and her own musical journey, and honestly, this is some of the whitest shit I have ever seen. #VMAs
— Evette Dionne ????? (@freeblackgirl) August 21, 2018
But it doesn’t stop there…
Madonna gave herself a tribute featuring Aretha.
— LoveYourself (@ScottieBeam) August 21, 2018
Madonna doesn’t have the vocal range to do a tribute to anything but the wind.
— Richie Brave?????? (@RichieBrave) August 21, 2018
Madonna dressing up as my ancestors at the vma’s lmaooooo did she find out she’s 1% moroccan? pic.twitter.com/eXc8p7H8Fa
— princeMONONOKE (@futuresfirst) August 21, 2018
Madonna really gentrified an entire tribute to Aretha with more anecdotes than a Presidential candidate. You gotta be kidding me… #VMAs
— Jeff J. (@JeffJSays) August 21, 2018
I’m so lost. I thought Madonna was supposed to be paying homage to Aretha but I all heard was her paying homage to herself. HEAVY on the Mayonnaise……
— Charlamagne Tha God (@cthagod) August 21, 2018
Madonna talking about guitar lessons, Paris baguettes and her ass hanging out while she looked for a stiletto with the image of Aretha Franklin behind her is everything I expected from the #VMAs
— Kingsley (@kingsleyyy) August 21, 2018
And then there were the memes…
Xzamilloh
First of all, the VMAs should have given Aretha Franklin a pre-recorded tribute at the beginning and middle of the show, and left it at that, because the crowd they cater to and the “talent” they had in the lineup would have had my eyes stuck in my forehead from rolling them. It should also be noted that Aretha died on Madonna’s birthday, and Madonna herself said that she wasn’t up there to give an actual tribute to Aretha but was sharing an anecdote that tied into her… a long winded, hard to believe anecdote.
As if I’m supposed to believe she wowed anyone with her cover of an Aretha Franklin song… ma’am, please.
Luicia
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Memers and Tweeters come for Madonna for paying tribute to Madonna, er, Aretha Franklin at VMAs
Seth
The better question is why are grown adults still watching MTV?
DCguy
Ok, Lets get the elephant in the room out of the way…
Madonna looks like a grandmother who went on a cruise ship, got overly excited and bought clothes from souvenir booths and had the “Tourist braids” done.
As for the speech, is anybody shocked that she made it about herself?
ggore
You’re right, Madonna’s real problem is her stylist or whoever thought that that ensemble was in ANY way something she or anyone else in the universe would look good in. Good lord that was awful!
Terrycloth
Should’ve been recorded live so they could go back and edit Madonna out for brodcast..
Vince
Jesus calm down people. All she did was recount how Aretha was pivotal in her starting out in the industry.
Calin
Much ado about nothing, carry on people!
Jack Meoff
Madonna manages to find an angle in every tragedy as an opportunity to promote herself. She has done with three celebrity deaths and also the Paris terror attack. She has no shame.
justgeo
So the bitch is just the TRUMP of pop!!!!!
DCguy
Except for the one fact that Trump started out incredibly rich, lost it all and is bankrupt and in debt hundreds of millions. While she started out poor and actually made a fortune. lol
Ashke113
So Madonna looks like she was on a bad acid trip went thru her jewelry box and decided to wear everything, then thought a black sheet would look good and a spiked candle holder on her head……and hot the road. The old girl has lost it
Mozo83
So over articles propped up by Tweet like Twitter is the Supreme Court or some shit.